Chuck key holder



F. O. ALBERTSON CHUCK KEY HOLDER Sept. 30, 1941.

Filed Feb. 27, 1939 Patented sept. 3o, 1941 CHUCK KEY nomma Frank Osbern Albertson, Sioux City, Iowa, as-

signer to Albertson & Company, Inc., Sioux City, Iowa, a corporation o! Iowa Application February 27, 1939, Serial No. 258,756

y1 Claim.

The present-invention relates to chuck key holders, and is particularly concerned withdevices for holding the key which is used for driving a chuck' sleeve the last few turns to fasten a drill or other tool firmly in a chuck.

Such chuck keys are a practical necessity for motor driven chucks or drills, and the keys are holder, if desired, but so that there is no possibility oi' the holding device getting tangled up with the drill or chuck and no possibility of leaving the key in the aperture of the chuck.

Another object oi the invention is the provision oi a chuck key holder which is adapted to be secured to the drill or its accessories in such manner that the holder can never be lost and the key may be used when attached to the holder or when removed from the holder.

Another object of the invention is the provision oi a chuck key holder which automaticallyremoves the key from the chuck when the key is released and which holds the key to be utilized at any time again, without possibility of loss. 4

Another object oi the invention is the provision of a chuck key holder from which the key is removable when a removing force is applied in the right direction, but which otherwise tends to bind the key in place against removal when the key or holder is subjected to other forces, such as might occur when the holder or key are dragged over the table, floor, or other supports.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which Referring to the single sheet of drawings laci5v companying the specication:

Fig.l i is an elevational view of a motor drill equipped with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a full Vsized vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 2--2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a full sized elevational view of the key combined with the holder, which is shown in section on the plane of the line 3-3 `of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, I0 indicates a motor bores.

having jaws I2 contained in a sleeve I3, which is provided with al plurality of radially extending bores Il. The jaws I2 are adapted to be driven into clamping engagement with ay shank oi' a drill or other tool by means of a knurled sleeve I5, which is provided with gear teeth Il upon one end thereof.

The sleeve I5 is rotated by hand in the preliminary adjustment and tightening of the jaws I2 on a shank, but in order to secure ay shank flrmly in the chuck II it is necessary to utilize a key Il having a shank -I8, a bevel gear I9, a trunnion 20, and a transverse handle 2| consisting of a pin.

The trunnion 20 is placed in one of the apertures Il, whereupon the teeth of the bevel pinion I9 engage the gear teeth I6 on the end of the sleeve I5. The length of the handle 2I gives suilicient leverage so that the operator can drive the sleeve Il slightly farther than could be done by hand, andthe shank of a tool is gripped ve rmly by the Jaws I2.

Such keys are, therefore, a practical necessity, and when the key is -lost the motor drill cannot be properly used. l

'I'he motordrill II! is provided with a suitable handle 22 having a rubber hose 23 surrounding a rubber covered cable 24 anchored therein. Thel rubber hose is adapted to prevent sharp bending of the cable 24. which contains two conductors leading to the wall plug 25, which is used for connection to the electric line.

The holders constructed according to the invention are shown in elevation in Fig. 2, and in- A dicated by the numeral 26. The holders are preferably wholly constructed of resilient, stretchable and elastic rubber, although in some embodiments of the invention the body might conceivably be made oi more rigid material provided with such rubber inserts in one or both Each holder consists of a molded resilient rubber member, which may be o! substantiallyy uni-- form thickness, as shown in Fig. 3, but which is formed in plan with a pair ot partiallycircular end portions 21 and 28, each of which is provided with a transverse bore 29'and 3l.

At the intervening yoke portion II the body of the holder 26 may be narrower to permit bending of the holder .to get the key in proper position, or when the key is to be actuated. The bore 29 is of suiiicient size so that when the rubber covered cable 24 is located in the bore 29 the driven electricV drill provided with a chuck II, circular portion 21 grips the cable quite-tightly,

vpreventing the sliding of the holder 2 on thev cable 24.

For this purpose the bore 29 ymay Vslightly smaller than the outside diameter of the rub- Thus there is no possibility of driving the'moror driven chuck with the key in the chuck.

The key holder is adapted to .be usedvwithout l being detached from the drill assembly at any ment is such that there is a great resistance to sliding between the key holder 26 and the cable 24. The resistance is such that theholder tenda to turn inside out rather than slide.

Thus the holder is adapted to be kept in approximatelythe same position on the cable atv The key is easily-removed by applying a.

force which acts axially of the pin 2|, and the resistance to the removal of -the key from the holder 26 is considerably less than that which is present between the holder and the cable. However, when the key is held in the holder 26, as shown in Fig. 3, any force other than an axial force acting on the pin 2| causes the key to bind in the holder,l and causes a bending of the body or yoke 3| of the holder so that there is no tendency for the key to catch on adjacent tables, tools, or machine parts when the drill is being used. 'I'he holder permits the key to slideover such articles, and the holder bends to permit this action.

Referring to Fig. 1, the key and the holder are here shown in the position which they assume when the key is being usedr without removal from the-holder, ywhich is the preferred mode of use.

It will be observed that the key is in such position that it may be twisted readily and,V as only a fraction of a turn is required, the cable 24 and holder 26 permit sufficient bending or twisting, so that the key may be used with `the utmost freedom.

When the operator has finished with the key,

it `would naturally be removed by the operator; but, if not removed, the mere lifting of the drill with the cable and hose 23 in the relation shown in Fig. 1, would cause the removal of the key e from the chuck. Hose 23 itself tends to straight-` time, and thus, if properly used` there is no possibility of its loss or misplacement. Neither can the key or its holder get entangled in the drill if. the tool is properly handled, as it must be. since the addition of the holder to the cable does not introduce any additional hazards.

The cable must itself, of course, be so handled that it does not become entangled with the tool. The present holder may be very economically manufactured, and is applied to the cable at `the time of its attachment to the connector and motor so that there is no possibility of the holder getting lost.

The importance of such 'an article should not be minimized by reason of its small size and inexpensive character, however, as it is of the utmost importance to have the chuck keyavailable when it is needed.

As stated before, the drill cannot be effectively used without a chuck key, and the present holder assures the availability of the chuck key at all times.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes Within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:/`

A safety chuck key holder comprising a resllient rubber member having an aperture provided wlth a tapered formation at itsv end for receiving and frictionally engaging a rubber covered cable, said holder having a central body and having at its opposite end to the cable aperture, an aperture adapted to receive and frictionally engage the handle rod of a chuck key, said holder being mounted on a rubber covered cable in such manner that the key may be used for tightening a chuck while supported by said cable but upon release of the key by the hand and application of the tool to the work, the'key is aulizematically removed from the chuck by the ca e.

FRANK OSBERN ALBERTSON. 

